Write to Bakhrom Kholmatov
NOTE! The campaign has ended as Bakhrom Kholmatov was released on December 19, 2019. Many thanks to everyone who wrote to him and prayed for him.
Tajik Christian pastor Bakhrom Kholmatov was sentenced to three years in prison in July 2017 for "singing extremist songs in church and thereby inciting religious hatred". Pastor Kholmatov, who was found not guilty, is the father of three children and married to Gulnora. He is being held in Yavan prison in southern Tajikistan, which is approximately 360 km from his home.
On April 10, 2017, Bakhrom was arrested by Tajikistan's secret police KNB. During the incident, several church members were harassed and beaten. Among other things, the police seized the pastor's computer and the book "More than a Carpenter" by Josh McDowell, which was published in Danish by Lohse Forlag in 1991. Imams working at KNB claim that the book is extremist.
Tajik authorities claim that Pastor Kholmatov's church, Sunmin Sunbogym in Khujand, is illegal as it is not registered. However, the church was officially registered in 1993 by the Committee for Religious Affairs of Tajikistan and re-registered in 2009 due to a change in the law.
People close to Bakhrom believe that he was arrested because of a dispute over a building owned by the church that the authorities want to get their hands on. At a meeting he was asked to sign a document handing over the building, but he refused to do so.
Pastor Kholmatov's family and church members are threatened with reprisals if they reveal details of the case or Kholmatov's condition. Bakhrom has been allowed visits from his family and he is allowed to keep his Bible in his prison cell, according to a source close to Bakhrom who chose to remain anonymous to avoid reprisals.
A letter will be a great encouragement to Bakhrom. He is serving his sentence simply because he boldly confesses his faith in Jesus and puts it into practice.
1. Click here to download the letter.
2. Write a small personal greeting to him in English. It must not be critical of Tajikistan.
3. Sign the letter.
4. Send it to Danish European Mission, Drejervej 15, 2400 Copenhagen NV or by email: info@forfulgtekristne.dk. We will forward it to the prison.
